GENERAL NEWS
The Club continues to be extremely busy, keeping us all on our toes, but the ambience and energy is very definitely returning, and fast!
Saskia has been working very hard on the recruitment front and she has made some inroads into our staffing shortfalls in the Restaurant and Bar so this is a positive move. Recruitment of chefs remains unbelievably challenging and meaning that the production of food is still limited based on the number of Chefs we have on the team.
Lisa and Claire took a large party of members to the Champions Tennis Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall on Thursday last week. Over an excellent dinner back at the Club an in-depth analysis of the tennis took place. This club event was hugely enjoyed by all.
U30’s TO THE U35’s
The U30s held their November Dining Evening which was attended by 48 people and marked a real return to the young people’s dinner evenings of the past. I am told that a superb evening was had by all followed by some late night revelry somewhere in London’s rich choice of late night entertainment. The following day, the U30s convened for their Annual General Meeting (AGM) at which the Chairman and Vice Chairman for 2022 where announced as Alice Hind and Emily Pile, respectively. After an enforced shortage of events following the pandemic, the Committee discussed a large number of initiatives going forward for next year and also thanked Eleanor Kay (current Chairman), for her work in the past two years, throughout COVID.
Perhaps the most important issue under discussion at the U30s AGM concerned the agreement, on a trial basis, to amalgamate the U30/U35 section of the Club into one entity, i.e., the U35s. This has been the subject of much discussion within the U30’s, Membership Committee and General Committee of the Club for some time, the concern being that those passing out of the gateway of U30s then fall into a very narrow age grouping where there is perhaps a loss of impetus and numbers to organise ongoing educational and social events. As a result of the Executive Teams discussions with the U30s committee this was proposed to the General Committee. It was agreed that on a trial basis we would amalgamate the two sections of the Club to become the U35s section. If this is successful, a formal rule change application will be sought at the Club AGM in July 2022, in accordance with our Club rules. In order to assist this transition and trial the Guidelines for the U35’s have been drafted and include some Committee processes being updated and being brought in line with the main club rules.
REDUCED FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICES IN THE CLUB
Following a number of queries regarding the reduction in services, particularly on Mondays please see our website for further details of these reduced services.
We are accommodating functions that were already booked on Mondays prior to the restrictions and may need to limit other services in order to provide the best possible service that we can provide in the circumstances.
Apologies in advance for any inconvenience this may cause, the team are doing their best in challenging circumstances and are working hard to deliver some service in all food and beverage areas of the club. You will have seen the details sent to you by email and I would ask that you do not apply unnecessary pressure by requesting what we have advised is not possible at this moment in time – if anyone has a particular difficulty, please contact me. Thank you for your continued understanding.
FESTIVE PERIOD SEMI-CLOSURE
As normal pre-COVID times, The Farmers Club will semi-close from midday on Friday 24th December. We will be open for bedrooms only from that point until we fully re-open at 3pm on Tuesday 4th January 2022.
There will be a skeleton Housekeeping team in throughout to service bedrooms only and The Restaurant and Bar will be closed.
Please also be reminded that due to the cancellation of the London Firework display this year, the New Year’s Eve function is now not taking place.
SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR 2022
Please be reminded that your Annual Subscription renewal is due on the 1st January 2022 and your invoices will be emailed to you over the next few weeks.
Please do remember to check your email spam account just in case emails end up there instead of your inbox.
FUTURE CLUB EVENTS
The events for December are filling up nicely and we have a few spots left on each of them, be it the ‘Van Gogh: The Immersive experience,’ Christmas at Kew or the ‘Christmas with Kings College Cambridge Choir’, so if you fancy getting right into the spirit of Christmas, perhaps with some last minute shopping in the day, this provides the perfect opportunity.
Details for this last event can be founf here.
Don’t forget also, the fist of our events in January which sees the return of the Cirque du Soleil performance at the Royal Albert Hall. This is selling out quite fast, but there are a few tickets left. If you have any queries, please contact Lisa (Craig is on holiday, returning Monday 6th December.)
ON THE HIGH SEAS
The current Chairman of the Farmers Club Charitable Trust, club member Stephen Fletcher has taken time away from his desk and surveying duties to take part as a crew member in a global sailing challenge. Stephen is partaking in the leg from Gran Canaria to the Caribbean (St Lucia).
AWARD FOR CLUB MEMBER
I am pleased to inform members of the success of club member Aled Davies and his company PRUEX in being awarded a UK Innovation award by AgriEpi Centres. This is for the work Aled has done in the use of antibiotics and bacteria and recognition of the award winning technology that dries out chicken litter with PRUEX bacteria. This emanated from November 2014, when he was awarded a two year Nuffield Farming Scholarship to study and report on the topic: "Alternatives to Antibiotics in Agriculture”. Congratulations to him and wife Caryn.
IN CLOSING
It has been fantastic to welcome so many of you back to the Club, some for the first time in almost 2 years. I hope that you have found the standards and welcome everything that you would expect despite the significant pressures at this time. We are making preliminary plans for some very light redecoration over the Christmas and early New Year period in some of the rooms and public spaces to ensure that we are looking as good as we can be. We will try and do this at times when we are historically less busy and causes least disruption to members and the operation of the Club.
It is remarkable to think that PROJECT CREST commenced almost 7 years ago, completing in August 2016 and the club has been well used since that time.
Many of you have booked some kind of Christmas celebration here at the club and I would like to reassure that in line with a number of other recycling initiatives our Food & Beverage Manager, Jelle has ensured that this year’s Christmas Crackers are 100% recyclable and the supplier is donating 7% of their sales to the Teenage Cancer Trust – a good outcome all round.
We look forward to seeing you during the festive season.
Best regards
Andrei Spence
The Club continues to be extremely busy, keeping us all on our toes, but the ambience and energy is very definitely returning, and fast!
Saskia has been working very hard on the recruitment front and she has made some inroads into our staffing shortfalls in the Restaurant and Bar so this is a positive move. Recruitment of chefs remains unbelievably challenging and meaning that the production of food is still limited based on the number of Chefs we have on the team.
Lisa and Claire took a large party of members to the Champions Tennis Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall on Thursday last week. Over an excellent dinner back at the Club an in-depth analysis of the tennis took place. This club event was hugely enjoyed by all.
U30’s TO THE U35’s
The U30s held their November Dining Evening which was attended by 48 people and marked a real return to the young people’s dinner evenings of the past. I am told that a superb evening was had by all followed by some late night revelry somewhere in London’s rich choice of late night entertainment. The following day, the U30s convened for their Annual General Meeting (AGM) at which the Chairman and Vice Chairman for 2022 where announced as Alice Hind and Emily Pile, respectively. After an enforced shortage of events following the pandemic, the Committee discussed a large number of initiatives going forward for next year and also thanked Eleanor Kay (current Chairman), for her work in the past two years, throughout COVID.
Perhaps the most important issue under discussion at the U30s AGM concerned the agreement, on a trial basis, to amalgamate the U30/U35 section of the Club into one entity, i.e., the U35s. This has been the subject of much discussion within the U30’s, Membership Committee and General Committee of the Club for some time, the concern being that those passing out of the gateway of U30s then fall into a very narrow age grouping where there is perhaps a loss of impetus and numbers to organise ongoing educational and social events. As a result of the Executive Teams discussions with the U30s committee this was proposed to the General Committee. It was agreed that on a trial basis we would amalgamate the two sections of the Club to become the U35s section. If this is successful, a formal rule change application will be sought at the Club AGM in July 2022, in accordance with our Club rules. In order to assist this transition and trial the Guidelines for the U35’s have been drafted and include some Committee processes being updated and being brought in line with the main club rules.
REDUCED FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICES IN THE CLUB
Following a number of queries regarding the reduction in services, particularly on Mondays please see our website for further details of these reduced services.
We are accommodating functions that were already booked on Mondays prior to the restrictions and may need to limit other services in order to provide the best possible service that we can provide in the circumstances.
Apologies in advance for any inconvenience this may cause, the team are doing their best in challenging circumstances and are working hard to deliver some service in all food and beverage areas of the club. You will have seen the details sent to you by email and I would ask that you do not apply unnecessary pressure by requesting what we have advised is not possible at this moment in time – if anyone has a particular difficulty, please contact me. Thank you for your continued understanding.
FESTIVE PERIOD SEMI-CLOSURE
As normal pre-COVID times, The Farmers Club will semi-close from midday on Friday 24th December. We will be open for bedrooms only from that point until we fully re-open at 3pm on Tuesday 4th January 2022.
There will be a skeleton Housekeeping team in throughout to service bedrooms only and The Restaurant and Bar will be closed.
Please also be reminded that due to the cancellation of the London Firework display this year, the New Year’s Eve function is now not taking place.
SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR 2022
Please be reminded that your Annual Subscription renewal is due on the 1st January 2022 and your invoices will be emailed to you over the next few weeks.
Please do remember to check your email spam account just in case emails end up there instead of your inbox.
FUTURE CLUB EVENTS
The events for December are filling up nicely and we have a few spots left on each of them, be it the ‘Van Gogh: The Immersive experience,’ Christmas at Kew or the ‘Christmas with Kings College Cambridge Choir’, so if you fancy getting right into the spirit of Christmas, perhaps with some last minute shopping in the day, this provides the perfect opportunity.
Details for this last event can be founf here.
Don’t forget also, the fist of our events in January which sees the return of the Cirque du Soleil performance at the Royal Albert Hall. This is selling out quite fast, but there are a few tickets left. If you have any queries, please contact Lisa (Craig is on holiday, returning Monday 6th December.)
ON THE HIGH SEAS
The current Chairman of the Farmers Club Charitable Trust, club member Stephen Fletcher has taken time away from his desk and surveying duties to take part as a crew member in a global sailing challenge. Stephen is partaking in the leg from Gran Canaria to the Caribbean (St Lucia).
AWARD FOR CLUB MEMBER
I am pleased to inform members of the success of club member Aled Davies and his company PRUEX in being awarded a UK Innovation award by AgriEpi Centres. This is for the work Aled has done in the use of antibiotics and bacteria and recognition of the award winning technology that dries out chicken litter with PRUEX bacteria. This emanated from November 2014, when he was awarded a two year Nuffield Farming Scholarship to study and report on the topic: "Alternatives to Antibiotics in Agriculture”. Congratulations to him and wife Caryn.
IN CLOSING
It has been fantastic to welcome so many of you back to the Club, some for the first time in almost 2 years. I hope that you have found the standards and welcome everything that you would expect despite the significant pressures at this time. We are making preliminary plans for some very light redecoration over the Christmas and early New Year period in some of the rooms and public spaces to ensure that we are looking as good as we can be. We will try and do this at times when we are historically less busy and causes least disruption to members and the operation of the Club.
It is remarkable to think that PROJECT CREST commenced almost 7 years ago, completing in August 2016 and the club has been well used since that time.
Many of you have booked some kind of Christmas celebration here at the club and I would like to reassure that in line with a number of other recycling initiatives our Food & Beverage Manager, Jelle has ensured that this year’s Christmas Crackers are 100% recyclable and the supplier is donating 7% of their sales to the Teenage Cancer Trust – a good outcome all round.
We look forward to seeing you during the festive season.
Best regards
Andrei Spence